I need help with ideas for this prompt: Conflict forces people to choose what they really stand for. I need to somehow relate it to the film Paradise Road.

1 Answer

You may be having trouble identifying the "conflict" referred to in the prompt. There couldn't be very much conflict between the female prisoners and the Japanese guards, so I suggest you assume that the "conflict" is the great one between the Japanese and the Allies. The women happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up being the innocent victims of a world war. Their greatest problem was just staying...

You may be having trouble identifying the "conflict" referred to in the prompt. There couldn't be very much conflict between the female prisoners and the Japanese guards, so I suggest you assume that the "conflict" is the great one between the Japanese and the Allies. The women happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up being the innocent victims of a world war. Their greatest problem was just staying alive and keeping up their morale. For this they are indebted to the woman who thought of the idea of organizing a choir. The music helped them to endure the suffering that were a natural outcome of their imprisonment, including chronic hunger, heat, bugs, sickness, fear, and not knowing anything about the fates of their loved ones or whether their misery would ever end. The "conflict" didn't not bring out the best in all the women, but it brought out the best in the character of the woman who decided to build morale by organizing a chorus. It even helped to improve relations with the Japanese guards.

The reference link below will take you to the Wikipedia article on the movie Paradise Road. It is always helpful in discussing a movie to have such information as the names of the characters and the names of the actors or actresses who played them. You can include some of this information in your essay. It will make a favorable impression. The article also shows the source from which the 1997 movie was derived and other details.